Judge Critiques Defendant’s T-Shirt in Court

A Texas judge recently criticized a man for wearing a t-shirt with the words “the best Futer in the world” during a felony court appearance.

Jefferson County Judge Raquel West expressed her disapproval of Sammy Morris’ choice of attire when he appeared before her last week. “What made you think it’s a good shirt to wear in court this morning?” she asked him, clearly taken aback.

Morris later tweeted that he thought the shirt, which he explained he meant to say “Father,” was humorous. However, the judge wasn’t impressed with his reasoning.

“Was that the only shirt you had to wear in your closet?” she pressed, as if expecting a better explanation.

Despite his attempt to defend the shirt’s message, Judge West was not swayed, responding firmly, “No, that’s… I can read it. I see it says at the bottom.”

West continued to admonish Morris for not dressing appropriately for court, stating, “You’re in felony court. You need to be properly dressed for the felony court. That’s not right.” With an exasperated sigh, she moved on with the proceedings.

According to Texas court guidelines, participants such as lawyers and defendants are expected to wear “appropriate business attire,” which includes options like suits, dress shirts, and ties.

Morris was further reprimanded because he had not secured legal representation for his appearance. He mentioned contacting three lawyers but asserted he hadn’t received any responses in time.

“You need to hire someone, or you need to actually talk to three lawyers,” she told him. “You can’t actually hire someone unless you’ve tried it out.”

The judge then set a new court date for 30 days later, instructing him to find a lawyer. “If you need to call 20 [lawyers] to get it done, call 20,” she advised.

She warned him that if he returned without a lawyer, his bond could be revoked, resulting in his return to prison. Details regarding the felony charges against Morris remain unclear.